


pints of whiskey, cigarettes, and outer space

by orphan_account



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 18:43:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12282264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: There's nothing worse than finding her sister and her sister's girlfriend drunk.





	pints of whiskey, cigarettes, and outer space

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Margot & and The Nuclear So and So's broadripple is burning

She wakes to her phone oddly- and annoyingly, she’s trying to _sleep_ \- starting to play before clicking off.

On.

And off.

It’s only when she recognizes the tune of _we are family_ start for the third time does she make a mad scramble for her phone. Her limbs get trapped, and she’s thankful for Maggie’s late shift if only for the fact that she doesn’t have to hear her laughter or see that teasing smile.

(That teasing, dimpled smile.

That teasing, dimpled beautiful smile she gets to wake up to any morning she wants.

That smile that is warmth in its edges, tenderness in the crinkle of her eyes, and oh, affection seeps into her as easy as the sun)

“Kara?”

“ _Alex_?” There’s chairs scraping and Kara laughing and-is that Lena giggling? “ _What’s_ ,” Kara snorts, “ _What’s up?_ ”

“I don’t know. You called me.” She reins in her irritation, knowing it’s her lack of sleep, because Kara sounds _off_ and that means trouble which all adds up to sleepless nights and donations to the Supergirl fund.

“ _Why’d you call me then?_ ”

Definitely off.

“Kara,” she asks slowly, hears Kara mumbling as she speaks, “Where are you?”

“ _I’m- I’m, hey hey Lena? Where are we?_ _. . The car? Oh bar. We’re at the bar. Not car. We rode in a car though. Bar, car._ ”

Kara chatters away, and Alex tilts the phone away from her mouth, pressing it to her head and silently mouths every curse she knows.

A sleepless night then.

“You’re drunk.”

“ _I’m- I’m not_ “ There’s a shuffle, Kara and oh, it’s definitely Lena, talking over the loud music. Bright and happy. Normal when Kara is around by any standards, but the constant giggling in between every word? Not so much. “ _Oh, Lena says I’m a hunk_. _I guess you’re right_.”

She can practically see Kara’s smugness through the phone, gags. “I’m begging you to stop.”

She takes the time to tell Kara to stay where she is and asks- begs, she _begs_ Kara not to break anything, because really, neither of them can afford anything after paying to remove the indention of Supergirl’s face from the city fountain after she was thrown into it last week and she’s not above a tiny bit of pleading.

It takes three rounds of explanations.

“Kara,” stilted and brash she’s sure, but oh, _come on_ , “stay there.”

_“I can’t really hear you but I’m going to stay here, ‘kay?”_

“Kara, you have super hearing.”

The call clicks off without a sound, and she’s pretty sure it’s a good indicator of how here night’s going to go.

* * *

They don’t frequent the bar as often. Never without Kara.

Not after Kara, fingers twisting tightly as she ducked her head, asked if they could go someplace else.

Not after Kara explained that after Medusa, aliens were hesitant over humans. _Afraid_ even, and oh, it makes her think of Kara, tiny and thin, curled under the bed after watching Superman be brought to a knee.

By humans with money and guns and _hate_.

(Makes her think of turning over the DEO’s kryptonite to Clark.

An agent had taken care when passing the sword to him, and Kara’s eyes had been anywhere but on her.

A hand absently raising to clutch at her chest.)

Alex waits through three inspections. Each more thorough than the last, and by the end of it, she’s fairly impressed with their security for finding almost all her weapons.

Almost.

(All this for a small hole in the wall place, off the grid.

Smaller than it was before.

 _Less people_ , Kara had commented quietly the first time she brought her along.

She remembers Kara stepping into the old bar after Medusa, after aliens had fallen and never got up from a night that had been meant for fun.

Fingers skimming over the bar, stools, pool sticks as Kara’s mouth worked around sounds she couldn’t recreate.

A prayer for the dead.)

The bar is quiet save for drinks clinking and the few clacks of pool balls. It doesn’t take much time to hear familiar laughter, the kind when Kara’s caught off guard and it spreads from her loose and loud.

(The kind that has a rush of warmth spreading through her chest, the kind that makes her laugh along just as easily.

Safe and happy.)

She finds Kara and Lena curled around each other engaging in an obscene amount of PDA that no sister should have to see.

She pivots on her heel, one hand coming down to her phone, because is it really all that wrong to ask J'onn for the equivalent of memory bleach? It can’t be. That must be under protocol. Winn would call it a solid and J’onn would huff, but it would be worth it. She glances back, slaps a hand over her eyes.

So, so worth it.

“They’ve been like that for the past thirty minutes.”

Alex glances over her shoulder and sees M’gann wiping off the bar and shaking her head. M’gann looks fairly unimpressed as she steps around the counter, and she can’t help but relate. “Every time Kara’s came up for,” she raises her hands, hooks her fingers into quotations, “refills, I’ve been giving them water. They haven’t even noticed.”

Which means Kara’s as gone as she thought she was.

“ _Thank you_. Really.”

“No problem. Kara’s sweet and,” M’gann stops, rolling her eyes in what she thinks is fondness. Taps her temple. “They both are. Very um, gushy.”

In the morning, Lena would be horrified to know someone was reading her mind.

In the morning, Alex will make sure it’s the first thing she tells her.

Right after demanding a round of drinks on them for making her see, see _this_.

She waves her hand. “Is it as gross as this?”

“I think it’s cute.” She makes a face, and M’gann sighs. “Yes.”

“Right. Okay, Kara.” Kara doesn’t even turn towards her, just slips her fingers through Lena’s hair to pull her closer when Lena falls back laughing. “ _Kara_.”

Somehow, she has to get them separated and in the car and up the stairs and oh, she has to get them _separated_.

A thought. “Hey M’gann-”

“No. Good luck though.”

“Great.” She taps her foot against the floor, looks across the table and decidedly away the giggling pair.

“Need help?”

“No- _oh._ ” She takes a half step back from the alien towering above her. Large and orange and so tall she has to crane her neck back. “Hi. Um no, you’re fine, but thank you.”

Kara blinks slowly up at them, a slow smile shifting on her face. “ _Hey_ ,” Kara’s head tilts and her hand flaps on the table in greeting, and the alien beside her huffs a little laugh, “I know you.”

“Hello Miss Kara.”

(It’s not the first time she’s wondered how often Kara’s here.

Not drinking.

There’s a pile of games behind the counter now and the board is littered with posters with numbers to call for help.

Kara’s presence is as easy to tell as it is for people to come up to her, hands open and smiles wide.)

“Charlie! Hi! You punched me in the face once!” Kara says it with a glee that has her wrinkling her nose in concern. It doesn’t sound like something she should be happy about, but trust Kara to find something good in it. Lena makes a noise and grabs Kara’s face, movements slow and heavy as she turns Kara’s face this way and that.

(For the millionth time, she’s thankful for Kara’s invulnerability, because Lena’s fingers jab her in the eye twice.

Kara doesn’t even flinch, just keeps a slanted smile on her face.

A dumb, goofy smile, and _oh_ , her sister’s in love.)

Suspicion has her muscles tensing, shoulders broadening as she takes a clear step in front of Kara and Lena. “You-“

“We’re- we’re cool, Alex.” Kara throws her head back and laughs, palm slapping at the table hard enough that it cracks. M’gann tsks loudly, and she’s already planning another donate to Supergirl day at the DEO. “Get it? Because I,” Kara points a finger at them, but it falls to the side. Lena nudges it in the right direction before it goes completely off center, “I froze you.”

“You did.”

“I’m sorry.” Kara squints. “Wait, should I say that? You did- no, I am sorry. It wasn’t cool but it was.” She frowns, and the look of pure concern on her face has affection kindling between her ribs. “But it wasn’t.”

“You did what you had to.” Charlie smiles, and oh, okay sharp teeth. He’s got sharp teeth and he punched her sister, but it’s fine. Cool, even. He leans down, “Are you sure you don’t need help. You looked contemplative.”

She doesn’t know him, but Kara’s grinning and M’gann gives a subtle thumb up when she looks for reassurance, so she nods. “I could use some help getting them to the car.”

“I can do that.”

He lifts Kara up like she’s nothing, but it’s with a carefulness and hesitancy to his movements that has her fists unclenching, a sigh coming free. “Woah.” Kara flops over his shoulder laughing. “You’re strong. I remember my face hurting for like, two seconds.” She pats his back. “Good for you. Wow. Your shoulder is easy two times my head.”

Lena blinks at the empty spot beside her and slowly looks up. It’s so different from the quick calculations at the DEO or the sly strategies on game nights. Clumsy and awkward. She takes Lena’s hand and pulls it over her arm, gently sliding hers behind Lena’s back. Squeezes lightly, and Lena fumbles before falling into her side, head bumping against hers as her hand grips her shoulder. “Hello Alex.”

Professional and clipped. Familiar in a way, Lena’s fall back of rules and pleasantries and punishments. She wiggles her fingers against Lena’s side until she laughs, a smile in its wake and settles a little more firmly against her, arm pulling her close for what she thinks is a hug.

“Hey.” Lena falls against her again, one hand reaching to brush against Kara’s as she’s wriggling in Charlie’s hold. “Ready to go home?”

Lena freezes. Breathes deeply. “Okay.”

(She’s an agent. She can read people, but most importantly, she _knows_ Lena.

Knows the sharp fear and worry that comes from one word, and oh, as easily as the warmth comes, it blazes and burns at the thought that Lena deserved better.)

“This is Charlie.” Alex rolls her eyes as Charlie lets out another breathy laugh. “He’s from,” Kara keeps talking? She thinks? It sounds like a cough and a laugh, but that may be more Kara’s constant humor at everything right now. “Did I say that right?”

“Perfect.”

“I went once. It was beautiful.”

“It was.”

“Was,” Kara echoes sadly.

(It rattles around her ribs, pokes and prods until her teeth are aching at the thought that the world isn’t fair and people aren’t fair, and oh, why isn’t it fair to someone who radiates sunshine as much as she absorbs it?

Why isn’t it fair to her _sister_?)

Kara stays silent as they trek to the car, eyes steadily on the floor but hand grasping tightly around Lena’s when they walk close enough to touch.

It takes a quick shuffle, but Charlie ushers them into the car, letting Kara slide out of his arms and crumble to the floorboard before popping right back up. He waits a moment before helping Lena, offers a cautious hand.

It’s taken without a thought.

“Thank you for the help.” Kara’s breathing on the windows and dragging her fingers through it. Reveals a smiley face, and Alex gives her a thumbs up to stop the knocking at her glass that begs for her attention. “I needed it. She’s heavy.”

“She’s given help when I didn’t deserve it. It was the least I could do.” He dips his head, knocks his fist against his chest. “Tell her I said thank you for all she’s done.”

(Supergirl gets headlines and newscasts and praise.

Kara Zor-El does and does and does without a thought. Without the constant chatter, but standing beside this alien, eyes full of gratitude and a smile that is polite, but _real_ , she thinks that’s how Kara prefers it.)

“I will.”

She gets into the car, and Kara’s- Kara’s doing something to Lena’s neck- kissing, her mind unfortunately supplies, because she really doesn’t need that awful, awful image in her head- and Lena’s sighing and she _can’t_.

“No. No, this is not happening.” She jumps out of the car and pulls on the handle to the back door. It doesn’t budge, and Kara’s stupid smiling face presses against the glass. It’s smug and victorious, and clearly, her sister didn’t think about the keys to unlock it.

She taps the button on her keys while Kara and Lena are clearly laughing at her and-

The door is locked before she can even move.

She taps hard at the glass. “Let me in.”

Kara shakes her head slowly, mouths no. Alex clicks it again. Kara’s drunk and sloppy and okay, still way faster than her. She raises her hand, mimics rolling down the window, “Let me talk to you.”

Kara brings it down a fraction. Crinkle appearing between her eyes. “Can I help you?”

“ _Can you_ \- Kara, open the door.”

“Mm, no.”

“Hey, can you roll it down just a little more. I can’t hear you.” She brushes back her hair, turns her head sideways. “Human ears, what can you do?”

Kara blinks. Nods slowly. “Oh, yeah.”

She keeps the confused look on her face, frowns a little deeper when Kara watches her suspiciously as the window rolls down and oh, it’s too easy. She reaches through and slides the door unlocked, hand pulling at the handle before Kara realizes what’s happening.

“ _Oh_. You’re smart.”

“Thank you.” Kara yanks her down into a hug, butting her head against her shoulder. “Okay, okay, Lena,” she jabs a finger as Lena slouches against the seat, eyes fluttering shut, “Front seat, now.”

“That’s- that’s so _lame_.” Kara crosses her arms, but immediately helps Lena out of the car before continuing her grumbling. “Alex, you’re lame.”

“I’m okay with that.” Lena pulls away from her once she stands. Staggers to the side and leans heavily against the car. It takes her tripping twice before Lena allows her to help. She takes an easy hold of her elbows, steers her to the passenger seat. Lena stares pointedly at the buckle, seat belt missing every time. She gently takes it away from Lena, bites down her laugh when Lena tips up her jaw stubbornly as she buckles her. “You’re welcome.”

“I didn’t say-”

Alex shuts the door.

She sends a quick text off to Maggie, adds a handful of emojis only because Maggie doesn’t like them and it makes her shake her head, hair slipping over her shoulders, and oh, she loves it.

Kara pipes up as soon as she opens the door. “You’re not lame, Alex.” Kara’s looking down at her hands, fingers twining anxiously, and she doesn’t have the heart to hold it over her head much longer than a second.

“It’s okay Kara. My sister is lamer.” That earns her a sharp laugh, Kara pitching back hard enough that the car groans as it shifts backwards. She takes a moment to breathe after settling back in and crinkles her nose. The heavy scent of beer, too strong just from drinking. “What is that smell?” She turns around in her seat, adjusts the belt as she looks for any beer. Not trusting Lena’s blank look, she stares at Kara.

Kara fidgets, hands coming up to her glasses and popping them up and down. “Me.”

“Why do you smell like that?”

“Um.” It’s drawn out, raising and dropping in key until Kara’s just staring forward and Lena’s staring at Kara like she’s said something amazing and _she_ wonders how she got in this position. “I spilled beer on me.” Kara sniffs. “On my shirt. Should I take it off?”

For someone who was two seconds away from crawling out her car window, Lena looks altogether too sober and too happy when she says with as much seriousness as she can muster, “I think you should.”

“ _No_.” She jabs a finger towards Lena. “No just no. Stop looking like that-“

“You look beautiful,” Kara interrupts quickly.

She raises an arm to block Kara from leaning anymore into the front seats. Holds her ground when Kara huffs. “You stop too. Just sit and be quiet until we get home, okay?”

(She loves them.

Loves the team they make. The two most stubborn people finding each other and never bowing down when the other’s under pressure.

She loves that but there are just some things a sister should never see and if she does, J'onn should really do her a solid.)

“I think it got in my hair too.” Alex thumps her hand on the steering wheel, moving the mirror enough so she can see Kara

“At least it’s not my pants this time.” She bites her tongue, because she’s not entirely sure she wants to know that story but Kara’s already pushing through. “I spilled some of my,” Kara hunches over the console, fingers scrambling over its edge as she wiggles between the seats, “my _aliens only_ drink on my knee and- and Look!” Kara raises her leg and drops it. There’s a gaping hole at her knee. Alex squints. The edges still- yep, it’s fizzling. “I love these pants.”

“We’ll get you some more.”

“I already did.”

Alex purses her lips, because regular, smart _sober_ Lena? Definitely could’ve fixed this and _would_ have, just to get that dumb, heart tugging pout off Kara’s face.

(It’s an unfortunate fact that Kara knows this, knows any of them would go to insurmountable odds just to make her happy.

Kara knows that she has their love and strength and dedication.

Kara soaks it up and returns it tenfold.)

This Lena, who fumbled with the door handle and tripped into the car, doesn’t hold nearly the same amount of her faith.

“Lena, this just happened. You couldn’t have.”

“I _did_.”

“Fine, how?”

Lena sighs against the window, holds it out for so long that Alex is sure it beats any disapproving ones J'onn has ever given her and shoves her phone into her face.

“I bought ten.”

It’s clear on her screen, shipping date confirmation highlighted in Lena’s inbox beside an email from Kara and one more concerning about another security breach that Lena didn’t mention. “ _Okay_ , you’re not getting this back.” Lena’s hand slaps at her and all it takes for her to stop is Alex rolling down her window and holding the phone over the road. “Stop. It’s for your own good. Your bank account will forgive me.”

“Whatever.”

_Whatever?_

She’s instantly propelled into the fear of a what a teenage Lena was.

Probably too bright and clever and kind to hold up the Luthor name.

(Looking at her now though, Lena’s eyes soft and hands softer as she holds Kara’s hand, Alex thinks some things never change.)

“Why did both of you decide to get trashed tonight?”

“Celebrating!”

“Celebrating what?”

“Lena landed a great investor, because she’s, Alex, she’s so smart and nice and pretty and I love her.” The seat belt snaps off Kara when she leans forward, but it goes unnoticed as Kara presses her face against Lena’s arm, sighing happily. “I love you.”

“I love you.” Lena twists to reach towards Kara but flinches at the seat belt pulling across her. Turns the other way. “But that’s not- Kara’s article was on the front page.”

“Lena that’s- wait what?” She tries to meet Kara’s eyes, but Kara slides down into the seat and goes even further when she tilts the mirror down. “Kara, you didn’t tell me.”

“Not a big deal.”

“Yes, it is.” Lena’s head lulls to the side as she turns towards her. “She knew you were tired.”

“That’s sweet, and thank you for thinking about me, but Kara,” she blindingly reaches back and taps at Kara’s shoulder, slides her fingers against Kara’s neck to get a muffled laugh, “I want you to tell me about this stuff, okay? Remember? Any time, any place.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll get one and hang it on my fridge. For the whole world to see.”

“Really?”

(She thinks of Kara staring up at the fridge, asking why papers and grades and letters were there. Why Eliza wanted her to stick her paper up.

_“It’s for accomplishments and stuff like that. I don’t know.”_

Kara had looked down at the crumbled paper in her hands, an English test with a bold B inked into it. _“Accomplishments?”_

 _“The very best.”_ )

“Really.”

* * *

It’s a mistake taking them to Lena’s apartment.

It’s closer and nicer and the elevators always work which is a major plus when she’s the guardian for a drunk CEO and a drunker alien.

Lena starts shaking her head as soon as the complex comes into view, fingers nervously plucking at her seat belt. “This isn’t home.”

“Lena, you live here. Yes, it is.”

“No.” Lena drags a hand down her face. “No, I want- I want to go home.”

“Okay,” she agrees. Lena taps a frantic beat against the door, head still shaking. It takes her longer than she wants to admit, but then she realizes that this isn’t where Lena’s favorite clothes are or her ridiculously healthy foods are or the stupid candles with scents that linger on her clothes for hours after she’s left.

It’s not where Kara is.

She almost asks to make sure, but it feels moot, and Kara seems to have finally picked up on the tension and is trying to give Lena a hug from the backseat which really just looks like Kara’s putting Lena in a headlock.

“Sorry, wrong turn.”

(Kara’s built them all a home in one space.

Of treasured knickknacks and photos and snacks and used, dented furniture. They step in and each can spot their area, their touch. Their home wrapped up in soft, flickering lights and a coffee machine so loud the neighbor complains.

Kara looks at all of them and thinks _home_.)

* * *

Kara faceplants four times and Lena comes dangerously close to falling down the stairs, but they reach Kara’s apartment unharmed.

Lena falls onto the floor once she steps in and Alex sidesteps her and her previous assumption.

Relatively unharmed.

Kara makes a surprised noise and pulls Lena up, giving her this _look_ as if it’s her fault. She gives one right back and raises her shoulder nonchalantly.

“I’m going to rinse my hair.”

“Give me a sec, and I can help.”

Her minute is spent falling onto Kara’s bed and clinging at the soft blankets, burying her face in the overwhelming flowery scent of Kara’s shampoo that Lena complains about but continues buying all the same.

Just two minutes. Two minutes and she’ll make sure Kara hasn’t drowned, because really, they’ve tested it before. Kara can last far longer underwater. It’ll be fine. Completely fine.

The bed sags down beside her, and when she cracks open an eye, Lena’s lying quietly beside her. One hand hovers at her shoulder for a long moment before slowly coming down to pat awkwardly. “It’s okay if you’re tired.”

How many people have said that to Lena?

After Lionel, after Lex, after Lillian, who all said that to her?

She can’t imagine it was many, but here Lena is, _trying_. Always trying, and it knocks firmly against her heart until she’s patting at Lena’s back in return and blinking past the burn in her eyes.

Kara climbs between them, drops down on top of them both and snuggles closer. Kara’s fingers twist into her clothes when she tries to get up and make her way to the couch, tugs hard to get her back in place. It’s going to be too hot, the three of them pressed together and made worse by Kara pulling up the covers. But it’s warm and inviting and her eyes are already falling shut as Kara and Lena twist closer together, heads bumping together.

Kara nods off quickly. Long, paused breaths comforting after so many years hearing it. The slow inhale and silence in between exhalations. She remembers waking up, clawing out from nightmares of her father lost at sea, crashing in planes, trapped in cold, dark caves only to finally breathe when she could count those lengthy breaths.

Lena stretches an arm across Kara, tucking her head under Kara’s chin and brushes her fist across Alex’s shoulder. Stays quiet so long that she almost thinks Lena’s fallen asleep when-

“Thank you for taking us home, Alex.”

“Well where else would I take you?”

(In the morning, she wakes to an empty bed but with laughter coming from the kitchen and the comforting smell of coffee wafting through the apartment.

Lena’s murmur of good morning as a mug is pressed into her hands and Kara’s strong hug and Maggie’s warm kiss on her cheek feel awful lot like welcome home.

When she and Maggie go to their apartment, she hangs up Kara’s article and Lena’s less than enthusiastic, handwritten note of _I got an investor_ on the fridge.)


End file.
